


A kind of magic.

by Fangirlingintensifies



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Episode Ignis Verse 2, Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, Love is in the Air, M/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-14
Updated: 2019-03-14
Packaged: 2019-11-18 04:43:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18113522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fangirlingintensifies/pseuds/Fangirlingintensifies
Summary: Life simply continues and love is an unstoppable force.





	A kind of magic.

**Author's Note:**

  * For [seki](https://archiveofourown.org/users/seki/gifts).



> Part of the Ignoct White Day Gift Exchange. To the beautiful Seki. Thanks for being an immeasurable source of Ignoct love.  
> Thanks to titansatemysoul for being my beta!

A few months have passed since the return of the dawn. Every day new groups of refugees arrive to Insomnia, searching for friends and family and what’s left of their belongings.. Some of them bring tools, seeds, and animals that they’ve cared for over the last   
decade, with incommensurable faith that one day the sun would return and offer a second chance at life. Many others only bring hope, a need for happiness and a will to work on their future.. Hope was the force that had kept them looking forward during the   
dark years.

The highest priority after Noctis came back was restoring electricity and water supply. The two problems were quickly solved thanks to the intervention of a small army of glaives settled in Lestallum. First restoring the power grid on the biggest outposts around   
Lucis and later, the water distribution plant in Insomnia. Although there was still a big part of the metropolitan area without service, day after day small repairs helped to improve the quality of life for the new citizens of the Crown City.

As more refugees arrive, drawn to the city almost by instinct, they settle in the vicinity of the Citadel, creating a small town around the giant building. At night, the area boils with light and human warmth, which makes it the bright heart of Insomnia. Step by   
step, things improve as the first days of summer begin, longer and warmer, lightening the general mood of the slowly growing population.

The afternoon hours find the King sitting at his desk reading reports, most of them about problems already resolved by his ever prepared Advisor and his modest group of counselors. His eyes drag over the letters without paying too much attention. For the past few days, he’s felt frustrated, something inside him stirring his thoughts, pulling inside his chest. He’s been thinking about how much his body had changed. How could his friends recognize him, when he barely recognized himself? He’s thin, his beard doing little to nothing to make him look like his former self. Inside, his heart and soul feel the same as when he entered the crystal. Even younger, perhaps. Time has helped him get used to this new life. Still, it was a slower way to heal, with both good days and bad.

With a resigned sigh, he leaves the rest of the paperwork untouched and starts to walk through the room, searching for a distraction.

He remembers being here, so many times ... some happy memories, others not so much. This was once his father’s office. He can still feel his presence. A feeling so familiar to him, but at the same time peculiar and faded with time. His cologne, the shadow of his cape hanging on the back of the chair, that so-much-hated cane resting over one side of the desk. All of them invisible whispers from the past. The former King had made the space his own, and despite visiting many times as a child, Noctis still feels out of place within these four walls. It feels like he doesn’t belong.

Snooping through the bookshelves that were on the wall opposite to the windows, he discovers old editions that he had never read and probably he will never read. His eyes go from book to book until one of them catches his attention. A dark blue one, with a single word written in gold with elaborated calligraphy at his back: _Skylights_. He places his fingers gently on the back, caressing the delicate relief of the golden pattern. Curious as the King was, he decides to give the book a chance and see what it is. Luckily for him and his curiosity, when he tries to lift the book, a soft click sounds on the lower shelves, opening a secret drawer.

Inside, an invaluable treasure has been protected from the passage of time. Pictures of him through the years, from a baby with a bright smile to a grumpy teenager. With Gladio and Iris at a Halloween party, Luna on a balcony in Tenebrae, another of Ignis up on a chair looking through a huge window at the lights of the city, and Prompto wearing a graduation cap with a bright smile. There’s one of him alone with a calico kitten that was his favorite pet and a real pain in the neck for all his father's assistants. Pictures of his mother, young and beautiful, his same bright blue eyes, wearing a Glaive Uniform. There’s also a box with multi-colored fishing hooks, all made from small and shining feathers, a notebook with a leather cover full of sketches of landscapes that he easily recognizes as part of Leide. His happiness at having discovered all these little treasures was immense. These were his father's most precious belongings. Noctis hopes he doesn’t mind the intrusion. Regis wouldn’t want them to be forgotten.

Among all the things hidden in the secret drawer, he finds a small radio, white and red, with a single knob. Noctis wonders why his father would keep this antiquity. The monetary value was likely minimal, and it did not seem to have any relation to the rest of the things in the drawer. It still works, crackling to life when he plugs it in. He moves the dial gently to one side and the other until he is startled by the voice on the other side and the last chords of a song.

_“…...Yes, I think to myself, what a wonderful world--- Uhhh, yeah….”_

As it ends, an announcer comes on." This is actually a wonderful world, my friends. Glad to be here with you all enjoying being alive. Now that the summer is coming we should start to think about getting tan! We should give thanks to our King for the return of the dawn, but mostly because we are going to have a summer with style. No more pale skin, my loves! To rebuild the city---naked."

Noctis smiles at the comment while looking at the sketches of the notebook.

" The next song is an oldie but goodie. I'm thinking about starting a new cycle of romantic music because I want everyone to make love and be happy. Some of you could try to make me uncle, you know? Listen to the next song. I hope it inspires you!"

The music starts but Noctis can’t recall the song. It’s probably not from his generation. He absentmindedly listens to the lyrics. The song reminds him of something, of someone, and he’s still daydreaming about it when a soft knock on the door brings him back to reality. 

" Your Majesty, can I come in?"

" Ignis, I was just thinking about you,” he says.

" I expect that you were thinking good things about me."

" Ah... Yeah, obviously."

" I see that you have been treasure hunting again," Ignis comments, pointing at the open drawer and the radio on the desk.

" Yeah, I was getting bored, so I started to looking around. This has been my father’s personal place for ages. Even when he was a child he used to study here. I found a couple of things that I didn't know were here. This is like a magical room or something... Did you know that behind the tapestry, there is a secret door that goes to the throne room?"

" Actually, yes, Your Majesty."

" I didn't. I thought I knew all the secret passages of this building...Stop the majesty thing. I already told you."

" I'm sorry, Noctis," he answers smiling.

" It’s okay." Turning down the radio, he notes a small piece of paper glued at the bottom that had written _“Property of Clarus Amicitia.”_

“ Look at this! I think that I should give this to Gladio. My father has had this stored in a drawer for decades.”

“ I do not want to say it and sound disrespectful to His Majesty’s memory, but this is clearly theft.”

“ Yeah…I think Gladio will be happy anyway.” Noctis laughs, grabbing his suit jacket and heading towards the office door " Do you want to come out with me?"

" Of course, Your Majesty." With a small bow, Ignis follows his steps." Where are we supposed to go?"

" To the streets. The old sushi place where I worked when I was a teenager has been reopened.”

" Should I ask for bodyguards?"

" Nah, it's okay. I just want to go outside with you," Noctis says, a smile in his eyes.

They walk all the way to the restaurant. The last rays of sun give way to a warm night, cables and lamps interlaced and illuminating the sidewalk. A group of young Glaives chats in a corner store. A teenage couple sits in improvised hammocks tied to the remains of an old transmission tower. A beautiful blond woman bumps him in her race to hug another woman. “ I'm sorry!” she says almost without looking at him. Noctis just smiles. Apparently, the guy on the radio was right. Love was in every corner.

 

When they arrive, the place is crowded. Some people wave at him, and he smiles and waves back. A woman, slightly younger than him, calls him from behind the bar.

" King Noctis! Come here! I have two free seats in the back, next to the stairs."

He and Ignis make their way through the people, smiling and shaking hands.

The lady that called him comes to the table.

" King Noctis it is a pleasure to have you here. You probably don’t remember me, my father was the original owner. I was still a child when you worked here."

" Yes! Yuki, right? Of course, I remember you. You were sitting at the table in the corner every day doing your homework, struggling with your younger brother."

" Oh! You remember that!"

" Well, your family was a part of my life once. How are they doing?"

" We’re good. My father passed away a few months before the invasion. He was already sick when you worked here. My brother is fine, annoying as usual. He's not here right now because he's traveling to pick up my mom and grandma from Lestallum. We’re planning to live all here in Insomnia."

" I'm sorry to hear about your dad. I remember him with great fondness. But having all your family back here...and your granny! That's good. Thank you all for coming back."

" This is our home, Your Majesty," she says with genuine love in her voice.

" Thanks anyway. And you can call me Noctis. Can I call you Yuki?”

“ Of course!”

“ Okay, Yuki, do you have something special to eat tonight?"

" Yes, Noctis." She smiles again, a little embarrassed. "We only have a small fish selection, but all fresh from the day. Phoenix bass, golden catfish, salmon. I’ll make it special for you with just caught this morning. We also have veggie sushi and..."

" No vegetables, please. We’ll take a little of everything. Is that okay?"

" Sure! It will be ready in a minute!"

She leaves them alone. Ignis smiles, amazed with the ease with which Noctis moves around the people.

" How do you know about the reopening, Noct?"

" Monday after lunch, I was dying for something sweet, so I snuck into the kitchen for some of that cheesecake I like. I ran into two glaives and ended up sitting with them for a while. One of them told me about it. She didn’t believe me when I said I used to work here."

" That’s not good for you, you know. And leaving work just to feed your sweet tooth" Ignis tuts, feigning disapproval.

" Well, it’s easy being a King when your advisor does the biggest part of the job."

" I just don't want to overwhelm you with that. They’re simple things that I'm used to dealing with."

"You are used to it, huh? Organizing food, medical care. You’re handling the reconstruction effort all on your own."

" I have ten years of experience, Your Majesty", he replies, a shadow behind his smile.

" Right, of course. I’m sorry."

" You don't have to be."

 

They sit in silence for a few minutes. Noctis still feels guilty for leaving his friends for so many years. Leaving them in charge of the worst part of recent history. He can’t change it, but now he has the chance to make new memories and make sure they’re happy.  
Quickly, he changes the subject, trying to raise the mood. He reminisces about his time at the restaurant. One time, had a huge Ancient History assignment for the next day that he had put off until the last minute. He would have failed if he didn’t finish it. 

That same day, Yuki's father was hospitalized with the first symptoms of his disease, so he had stayed later than necessary, at the cost of his grade. Noctis didn’t mind though. He helped in the kitchen and sometimes at the bar attending customers. When they closed, Noctis was always exhausted, only wanted to crawl to the bed. Ignis would be there, waiting outside the restaurant, leaning on the car, ready to take him home. He remembers how there was always warm food waiting at his apartment. Ignis would stay and listen to Noctis talk about his day. Together, they would do homework or review official documents until Noctis was ready to turn in for the night. Sometimes, Ignis would stay over, make them hot chocolate before they went to sleep. He would do anything to make Noctis’s life easier.

It was around this time that Noctis started to feel differently about Ignis. Sometimes they stayed up late, and Ignis would wake a groggy Noctis with a soft touch to his shoulder when it was time for school. They would eat breakfast together, and Ignis would drive him to school. Every day he encouraged Noctis to do his best.

 

The sushi place is almost empty when they leave. While they walk back to the Citadel, Noctis notes how much the city had changed since the last days of darkness. Places that were no more than a pile of debris are now houses or small business. A corner lot was being cleaned. They stand in front of the security fences, looking at a building that was once the Royal Observatory. It’s still in ruins, but vegetation has covered most of the debris. Vines had grown between pieces of iron and stone along with wild plants covered with sweet-scented beautiful white flowers.

" We’re still cleaning this place. I hope that someday we can have a new observatory here."

" I don't think that we need a new observatory here. I like it this way. Maybe more plants with flowers, a commemorative plaque, and some benches to sit. A park right here will be good."

" Oh. I'm sorry to hear that. I understood that you liked this place in the past."

" I did, but times have changed. This could be still our place... Instead of stars, we can come to see the flowers... The building doesn't make good memories, we do."

" It's alright if that’s what you want, Noctis," Ignis replies with a sweet blush on his cheeks.

" I think is a good idea. We still have that small observatory in the Citadel. Now that the light of the crystal is not covering the night sky, it’s much easier to see the stars."

" I must say that that was brilliant."

“ Don’t underestimate my abilities as an urban planner.”

“ Never. I really think that that is a good idea.”

Noctis raises an eyebrow, curious if Ignis really means it or not before they keep walking. The night is beautiful. They come across some people on the street, but no one seems to notice that his King is passing by.

" It's a beautiful night," Noctis declares, looking up at the sky.

" Indeed."

" Do you want to come to my place? To drink something. I don't know. I'm in the mood for chatting and tomorrow is Saturday. Not a school day!"

" Of course, Your Majesty."

" Stop the Majesty nonsense," Noctis says, smiling and poking Ignis in the ribs.

 

Laughing, they walk to the room. The King’s private chambers are the same that his father used, with a subtle difference.

They were still somewhat short staffed, so Ignis sometimes takes care of the order of the King's rooms. He hasn't been here for a few days and it shows. The living room was chaos, looking like a tornado has been inside with all kinds of clothes were spread over the place.

" I'm sorry for the mess!" Noctis says, red-faced, making an effort to pick things up off the floor.

" It's okay. I should be used to it."

" Shhh! Don't say it! Hey, grab some glasses from the kitchen. I'll be right back."

Ignis has fun with the King's attitude. Apparently, some things never change. Peering in the kitchen, he notices that everything is clean. A clean kitchen from days without being used. Only a forgotten fork was inside the sink. Ignis grabs two glasses from the cupboard and goes back to the living room.

After setting the glasses on the table, Noctis returns with his clothes changed. The buttoned black shirt that he used for work is replaced by a cotton black t-shirt with the logo of a video game that he used to play, gifted by Prompto the last day of school twelve years ago. Later, it will probably end up in the pile with everything else.

“ Where did you find that relic?” Ignis ask pointing at the shirt.

“ It was in the boxes of the things that we brought from my old apartment.”

“ You have been busy hunting treasures I see.”

" I have. Come sit with me on the couch. I found whiskey hidden in one of the old offices. Never even opened. Can you imagine having something like this now? You never see good liquor anymore."

With a soft smirk, Ignis takes a seat next to him. Noctis serves the whiskey as if it was a ceremony, looking at the color of the liquid, taking in the aroma.

" Cheers! For you Ignis." He says and without giving the opportunity to Ignis to answer, he drinks it all with one big sip. “Ew! This is disgusting!"

Ignis laughs so hard that tears start running down his face.

" Stop laughing at me!"

" I'm sorry Noct. I'm sorry, but your face was priceless."

" It's okay. It’s not so bad. Maybe I should drink a soda, or a tea.. or something."

They laugh for a while until Ignis asks still smiling:

" Why did you make the toast for me?"

" Why not? I always complain about been called Majesty, but is thanks to you that I can use the title at all."

" It’s your birthright."

" Birthright or not, you made it a reality."

Ignis goes serious again.

" Hearing you say that makes me happy, Noct. Thank you. I would do everything again, only to have the right to call you Your Majesty."

" I'm not happy with you saying that, Ignis. That day, at Zegnautus, when we found you... it broke my heart. I spent ten years waiting to know if you were still alive."

" I didn't mean to make you unhappy, Noct. You are worth more to me than my own life. I have no regrets. I would do it all again if I had to."

Noctis holds Ignis gaze for a moment. There was sadness behind his emerald eyes, darkening his natural brightness. Noct fingers play with the hem of his shirt.

"Do you remember the radio at my office this afternoon? The one from Clarus? The song that was playing before you got there reminded me of you.."

" Me?"

" Yes. The voice of the lady was sad and sweet. It said something like _I'll be seeing you, in old familiar places, In that small cafe, at the children's carousel_...In my memories, I can see you on all those places because you were there with me at some point in my life. Those memories feel like home thanks to you. You are my home, Ignis."

Ignis looks at him with rounded eyes and mouth open, like if he was trying to understand what Noctis meant, trying to find the right words to say.

“ What I'm trying to say is… I like you, Ignis.For a long time. I´ve never had the courage to tell you before. When we were younger, and then later with the war and the trip...” Noctis looks at his hands closed tightly over his lap, fear of rejection tightening his throat. “Look, if you don’t feel the same it’s okay.”

Ignis grabs Noctis by the hand, kissing his palm. Noctis looks at him, an innocent plea in his eyes. Ignis closes the distance between them, embracing Noctis, foreheads leaning against one another.

" You said all those things, but I cannot find a word that can express how you make me feel. You are my world and my life. My everything, Noct."

Noctis can’t stop smiling, afraid to open his eyes and that everything is just a sweet dream. With a soft whisper, he asks:

" Can I… Can I kiss you?"

Their lips brush, tasting one to the other. A hint of the wooden smell of the whiskey. The slightly rough sensation of Ignis lip scar. Noctis opens his mouth, inviting Ignis’s tongue. Soon, they’re laid out on the couch, Ignis´s clothes scattered on the floor, leaving him half naked. Noctis's hands run along the skin of his back.

“ Ignis, wait… wait”

“ Do you want to stop? Are you uncomfortable?”

“ No, no... no… its no that…Emmmm… I need to tell you something, but I'm..like, really embarrassed.”

“ Tell me, love. Is something bad?”

“ Not bad but I don't know how to tell you…” Noct says covering his face with his hands, mumbling.

“ I´m sorry, Noct. What?”

Noctis mumbles again, whatever he’s trying to say incomprehensible.

“ Noct, please.”

“ I´m sorry, okay, okay.” He bites his upper lip. “I'm still virgin.”

“ Oh…”

“ Yeah, I know. But I want you to make love to me now, but I want you to know that even when I look awfully old with this beard and all the wrinkles, I have zero experience with this. I don't want you to have a bad time... I want you to enjoy this too.”

“ Okay, let's take it slow. We could wait to...”

“ No, no, no… Go back to the kisses. Can we back to kissing? On my bed?”

“ Are you sure?”

“ More than sure.”

“ Well, we have the whole night ahead of us, and tomorrow is not a school day..”

Stumbling with the rest of their clothes, they reach the bedroom. Noctis falls into bed, completely naked and nervous, but laughing, happy that the person he loves most in the world, is beside him.

That night, they spend hours looking into each other's eyes, touching and finding soft spots and old scars on their skin. Love and desire fill their souls. Ignis is a patient teacher and Noctis is a quick learner.

When the first light of the sun and the morning breeze begin to enter through the half-open windows, they’re still awake, kissing languidly, their sweaty bodies barely covered by silk sheets. They’re exhausted, but still smiling.

 

\-------------------------------------

 

The King is sitting in a chair on his chambers. His royal attire, all black and gold, covering him from head to toe. The soft light of the last days of winter come through the window. He plays anxiously with his left cufflink, with a sweet smirk on his lips. He looks around him and sees the photos that his father had stored, memories now placed in elegant frames all around the room. He hopes to make a thousand more. Prompto had agreed with him. With a soft sigh, Noctis rises from the chair, scratches the ears of his new calico cat that slept in the couch, before going out.

While he walks down the hall, he passes some glaives and council members that bow as he passes. As he makes his way to the throne room, he carries with him the memory of all those he’d lost on his journey. No one more so than his father. Noctis hopes that he would be proud. He had walked tall. Now was his time to live. To enjoy life and free of fatalistic prophecies.

When he enters the throne room, the people who were sitting stand as a show of respect. They were just a small group, those who still shared with him the joy of friendship and family ties.

Cor was there, standing next to Weskham and Cid. Holly and Cindy too. Ravus next to Aranea, beautiful in a purple dress with a little belly that grew day by day. Iris and Talcott, who had apparently declared their feelings at last. Prompto was already crying, standing next to Gladio, who was holding a five-month-old baby girl with beautiful blond curls.

And Ignis. His Advisor and guardian. His best friend. The love of his life. Standing at the bottom of the steps to the throne. All black and gold, as same as Noctis. He reaches for him, tangled their fingers.  
Lord Numitor, a newly appointed council member, presides over the ceremony.

“ Dear friends and family, it is with great joy that I present these persons who want to share with us their expression of everlasting love today. They have made their own vows, so please, Lord Scientia.”

Ignis was hypnotized by the moment. Everything around him seems to disappear, in the light that surrounds them. His only focus is Noctis's eyes, more beautiful and radiant than ever before.

“ Noctis. My love for you is as bright as the infinite stars in the sky, as deep as the sea where Bismarck is the King. As peaceful as afternoon hours at the shore of Alstor Slough, as warm the light of the sun, on that first dawn after a decade of darkness. You have been my best friend, my Prince and King, my partner and love, through happiness and sorrow, through war and peace. All this time, my heart has been yours and yours only. Now and forever, for all the eternity… I love you, Noct.”

Noctis cries and smiles. With the heels of his hands, he dries his tears and starts to search through his pockets.

“ Your Majesty?” the elder counselor says

“ I'm sorry. I can't find the paper. Sorry. Well… Ignis... Iggy...thank you. Thanks for being patient with me, especially when I was younger. For being with me through my life, for being my friend, a shoulder where I could cry, where I could rest. For being the one who listened, the one that cared for me, that healed me. Thank you for staying with me through everything. Thank you... for sacrificing yourself for me, without a second thought.. Thank you for creating wonderful and happy memories for me. I love you, Iggy. More than anything. For as long as I breathe and beyond death, I will be yours.”

Lord Numitor, certain the two will share a lifetime of happiness.

“ Your Majesty, Lord Scientia. Would you like to exchange rings?” he says, offering them the gold jewels that were resting in a small pillow, exquisitely embroidered with a monogram of both their initials.

Ignis takes the wedding band, delicately carved with stars, trembling as he puts it on Noctis’s finger.

Noctis is next, bowing to kiss his husband's hand once the ring is in place.

Everyone is crying tears of joy, some more discreetly than others.

“ Now, with the power vested in me,” Lord Numitor says. “I declare you, husband and husband. Now, you can kiss him, your Majesty. That's what we're waiting for.”

Standing on tiptoe, Noctis kisses his husband, hands cradling Ignis´ face. A sweet kiss, representing everything Ignis meant to him.

Applause broke out among the guests. Noctis is happy. Happier than he ever thought possible. Being so in love, receiving the warm love of their friends, it was magical.

After all, even compared to the Crystal, love was the most powerful magic of all.

**Author's Note:**

> That´s it! I made it! first fic! Hope you enjoy it. For me, Ignis and Noctis deserve only happiness.  
> The songs that I refer are: Louis Armstrong - What a wonderful world and Billie Holiday - I'll Be Seeing You.  
> Thanks again to titansatemysoul, without your help I'm a useless person.  
> Thanks to the FFXV fandom, You guys... are the best.


End file.
